One of my favorite memories was doing the coast to coast walk with my friends, starting from Auckland and walking 12 miles to the opposite coast. We went to the top of Mt.Eden, then to Cornwall park where we saw cows and sheep, and to One Tree Hill. Such an amazing way to see all of Auckland, and is definitely worth the hike. I also traveled through all of New Zealand and Australia with my family and went to Hobbiton, got to spend 24 hours with penguins, and meet Robert Irwin at the Australia zoo!

I lived in Carlaw Nicholls, and I loved being able to live so close to all of my friends. If one of my friends needed to go grocery shopping, they could just text the group chat and see if anyone wanted to join, and making plans was super easy as well. I also think getting a private room is definitely a plus that made me want to choose New Zealand, as this is the typical living situation (and cheaper!).

As a queer non-binary person, a big part of my decision when choosing a location was to make sure that I felt safe being myself. Being in New Zealand definitely made me feel very safe, not only being queer but being a feminine presenting person, and I felt like I could walk around without being scared for the first time. From the T4T (trans for trans) stickers scattered across the city, to the K road clubs having drag performances every weekend, Auckland made me feel welcomed and safe.